Allostatic load in early pregnancy and sleep-disordered breathing

Abstract

Objectives

To assess the association between allostatic load in early pregnancy and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) during pregnancy.

Methods

High allostatic load in the first trimester was defined as ≥ 4 of 12 biomarkers (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, triglycerides, insulin, glucose, creatinine, and albumin) in the unfavorable quartile. SDB was objectively measured using the Embletta-Gold device and operationalized as “SDB ever” in early (6–15 weeks) or mid-pregnancy (22–31 weeks); SDB at each time point was analyzed as secondary outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to test the association between high allostatic load and SDB, adjusted for confounders. Moderation and sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the role of allostatic load in racial disparities of SDB and obesity affected the relationship between allostatic load and SDB.

Results

High allostatic load was present in 35.0% of the nuMoM2b cohort. The prevalence of SDB ever occurred among 8.3% during pregnancy. After adjustment, allostatic load remained significantly associated with SDB ever (aOR= 5.3; 3.6–7.9), in early-pregnancy (aOR= 7.0; 3.8–12.8), and in mid-pregnancy (aOR= 5.8; 3.7–9.1). The association between allostatic load and SDB was not significantly different for people with and without obesity. After excluding BMI from the allostatic load score, the association decreased in magnitude (aOR= 2.6; 1.8–3.9).

Conclusion

The association between allostatic load and SDB was independent of confounders including BMI. The complex and likely bidirectional relationship between chronic stress and SDB deserves further study in reducing SDB.

Keywords:

• Allostatic load
• allostasis
• perinatal morbidity
• sleep disorders
• stress biomarkers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.

Additional information

Funding

This study is supported by cooperative agreement funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: U10-HL119991; U10-HL119989; U10-HL120034; U10-HL119990; U10-HL120006; U10-HL119992;U10-HL120019; U10-HL119993; and U10-HL120018. U10 HD063036, RTI International; U10 HD063072, Case Western Reserve University; U10 HD063047, Columbia University; U10 HD063037, Indiana University; U10 HD063041, University of Pittsburgh; U10 HD063020, Northwestern University; U10 HD063046, University of California Irvine; U10 HD063048, University of Pennsylvania; and U10 HD063053, University of Utah. In addition, support was provided by respective Clinical and Translational Science Institutes to Indiana University (UL1TR001108) and University of California Irvine (UL1TR000153).